Runner finds man's body on remote trail

VALLEY CENTER  A trail runner on Saturday came across the body of a man who appeared to have died a few days ago in a remote, rugged area east of Valley Center, a sheriff’s official said.

The runner called 911 about 4 p.m. to report the discovery on a trail more than five miles north of Hell Creek Road, east of Valley Center Road near Hellhole Canyon County Park.

Deputies met up with the runner and got a description of the body and its location, sheriff’s Sgt. Joe Tomaiko said. He said it appeared that animals had disturbed the body, possibly over a couple of days.

“He was a little shaken,” Tomaiko said of the runner, who is visiting from out of town and chose to hit the trails rather than go to a casino with his wife.

One deputy tried to reach the site on an all-terrain vehicle, but the route was too steep, Tomaiko said.

A sheriff’s helicopter crew found the body but could not land.

“It wasn’t safe to send deputies out there after dark,” Tomaiko said.

Tomaiko said homicide investigators and the Medical Examiner’s Office will coordinate on how to handle the case in the morning.